There must be a similar thread to this, but couldn't find one after multiple searches!

Whenever I'm feeling grumpy about not being able to have gnocchi or whatever, I tell myself "yeah, but you're losing weight and NOT going to bed feeling hungry" (like I did on 1,200 calorie, low fat, high carb diets before) and it really helps w/ perspective.

For you guys, what's the thing about low-carbing that makes it so much preferable to other WOE?

I've never tried another diet but I chose LC because I could eat the foods I liked without altering them. While others can't imagine not eating bread , i could never imagine not eating meat, chicken skin or cheese. I think LC is probably the easiest woe and most adaptable to any situation except Chinese food.

For me it's what you said, Olive: appetite suppression. Better than any diet pill. And over the years, I tried them all ...

It really is! And spending 10 minutes a day planning meals in my head as opposed to obsessing all day long..."I've had 895 calories. What can I eat between now ans midnight that's 205 calories and will fill me up enough to sleep? Oh, ****. 200 calories, not 205. I forgot that stick of gum I had after 'lunch'!"

It *WORKS*!!!
And the benefits aren't limited to weight loss. I love the foods I can eat. Meat, buttery sauces, crispy chicken skin! yummmmm
What's not to love?

__________________

The trouble with people these days is they've forgotten we're really just animals. (attributation forgotten)"We did not create the web of life. We are but a strand in it." ~Chief Seattle"We don't HAVE souls. We ARE souls. We have bodies." ~Emerson

It really is! And spending 10 minutes a day planning meals in my head as opposed to obsessing all day long..."I've had 895 calories. What can I eat between now ans midnight that's 205 calories and will fill me up enough to sleep? Oh, ****. 200 calories, not 205. I forgot that stick of gum I had after 'lunch'!"

Exactly. I lived that way for years and felt like a miserable obsessive the whole time. I don't eat after dinner anymore at all and I used to do exactly what you describe, going out to the kitchen countless times,looking in the fridge and digging in the cupboards, trying to talk myself out of making popcorn or eating some Weight Watchers "treat" --- and then finally giving in and inevitably eating more calories than I wanted to. Night after night of that ... sometimes I felt as if I was living in the movie Groundhog Day.

I had no idea that by eating the popcorn and the sugary "treat" I was actually making myself more hungry! (Why on earth don't the other diet plans at least tell people that much??)

I keep waiting for some shoe to drop that makes me have to go back to pure willpower and ongoing internal arguments about food but it hasn't happened. This is kind of a miracle to me.

all of the things above mentioned!!! I needed this thread, I've been a bit grumpy lately but I found some really awesome recipes this weekend and I cooked ALL DAY! so i'm set for a while with some frozen/heat/eat projects....SO EXCITED again!!

There are lots of benefits, but not a single one comes close to my #1 reason: I have energy. Any other way of eating I either feel tired ALL DAY LONG, or I need to consume upwards of a GRAM of caffeine a day just to be awake from 7AM to 11PM.

Exactly. I lived that way for years and felt like a miserable obsessive the whole time. I don't eat after dinner anymore at all and I used to do exactly what you describe, going out to the kitchen countless times,looking in the fridge and digging in the cupboards, trying to talk myself out of making popcorn or eating some Weight Watchers "treat" --- and then finally giving in and inevitably eating more calories than I wanted to. Night after night of that ... sometimes I felt as if I was living in the movie Groundhog Day.

I had no idea that by eating the popcorn and the sugary "treat" I was actually making myself more hungry! (Why on earth don't the other diet plans at least tell people that much??)

I keep waiting for some shoe to drop that makes me have to go back to pure willpower and ongoing internal arguments about food but it hasn't happened. This is kind of a miracle to me.

I remember right after my son was born, my (very pretty/slim) obgyn was 4 months pregnant and commiserated with me about losing postpartum weight (she'd already had another baby): "there's nothing to be done about it, you'll have to go a little hungry". it's amazing to me that some people are able to lose tons of weight on that kind of diet. The day I accepted that I wasn't one of them and needed to go back on lc was my saving!

all of the things above mentioned!!! I needed this thread, I've been a bit grumpy lately but I found some really awesome recipes this weekend and I cooked ALL DAY! so i'm set for a while with some frozen/heat/eat projects....SO EXCITED again!!

There are lots of benefits, but not a single one comes close to my #1 reason: I have energy. Any other way of eating I either feel tired ALL DAY LONG, or I need to consume upwards of a GRAM of caffeine a day just to be awake from 7AM to 11PM.

There's SO MANY things that make this the best woe for me, I wouldn't dream of boring y'all with them, and many have been stated by commenters above. So where to begin and make it short?

I guess I'll just say that I've lost 24 pounds in 6 months and not been unsatisfied w/what I'm eating, and have rarely felt deprived---this is a huge one for me. I have enjoyed this project immensely, always looking for the new LC treat or idea or inspiration. Some work for me, some don't. But after 6 months, I have a slate of possibilities that provide me with a lot of variety.

Been there done that w/the low fat thing, and it never worked for me, and in fact encouraged my carb addiction. Same with frantic exercise. If you love to exercise, you are so ahead of the game. I don't. I'm a bookworm, a movie lover, a conversation lover,
a sofa and a warm throw lover. I lost considerable weight exercising for an hour a day, 6 days a week, and I'm sure I'll never be that buff again. It wasn't so much the exercise that motored down the weight, although it did work my old body in fantastic ways, but rather that after sweating my bum off, I was very very careful about what I ate. But in the end, once I reached goal, and it was a great journey through exercise and calorie reduction, turns out I did not see the road to maintenance, w/six hours of exercise a week. I just really didn't love it enough to keep up w/it. Slid off the wagon, and well, y'all know where I ended up. Again.

So, LC is doable for me, and by simply watching and tracking what I put in my mouth, regarding carbs, I've been able to enjoy life, eating, and lose weight. This has never happened for me before.

When I arrive at my goal, I want to add in gentle exercise, not the frantic pace I was once keeping up with. But for now, I'm SO HAPPY that my appetite has decreased, my cravings have decreased, and 98% of the time I'm a happy camper on Low Carb. And, I can actually visualize it as a long term life style, w/a few treats now and then.

I guess I just know after so many paths followed, that this is the one for me. This is the one where my best chances lie. Enough permission w/foods to make me feel satisfied, and yet LC foods are not foods I love so much I need to overdo. I like them, but arrive at enough much sooner than w/carbs.

This is my sweet spot---the good kind of sweet. I really hope I just get better and better at this, and so admire and learn from those here who have done if for years, fairly painlessly. I think I might be able to be one of those.

I was able to bring my BG down and get off all my insulin (not gonna happen on a higher carb diet).
The aches in my joints are gone.
No more carb naps in the middle of the day.
Sleeping better at night (4-5 hours straight instead of 1-2).
No longer obsessing about food.

I have never really made a serious effort at another diet plan. Any diet is going to require some sort of sacrifice, in the form of either carbs, fat, or quantity. Low carb is the lesser of the sacrifices in my opinion. I enjoy what I eat and I don't feel deprived. I have always been partial to beef and cheese and I can still have them with low carb. I never really liked bread, so that wasn't much of a sacrifice. I really love chocolate, but I can still have this in a modified and limited form.

I don't believe that I could have maintained my weight loss on a low fat plan. There are very few low fat foods that I like, such as seafood and a few veggies. These foods are low carb anyways. I have to enjoy my food.

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Falling down along the way doesn't keep you from getting to your destination. Failure to get back up and keep going does.

Split jalapeños in half lengthwise, remove as much or as little of the ribs and seeds as you like (more removal means milder poppers).

I mix cream cheese with shredded cheeses (I like using different cheddars), paprika, liquid smoke, and lots of garlic. I also add minced habarero to the mix. Stuff into the jalapeños.

Cut bacon in half lengthwise, and wrap one half slice around each half jalapeño, making sure the last bit is at the bottom. Bake at 400* until the bacon is cooked.

Oh geez Ntombi, I wanted to crawl right into your pix and taste! Thanks for this great, easy recipe.

Please, tell me more about "minced habarero." Where do you get it? Is it major grocery store friendly or will I have to look elsewhere? And, what do you think it adds to your recipe? Again, holy moly, your pix makes my mouth water!